Page 17 of Twilight of Embers
Delaney eyed me as she spoke, silently communicating that was exactly what she thought I was.
A knock sounded on the door, breaking her stare. I moved to answer it, grateful for the interruption. I opened the door to find a familiar face.
Knox grinned at me, and my belly hollowed out. He held up a plastic bag. “I brought lunch.”
9
HAYDEN
Those gold flecks seemed to glint under the fluorescent lights, twinkling all the more as Knox smiled wider. “You gonna let me in or what?”
I swallowed hard, taking a step back. “Sure…”
Knox came in, his gaze sweeping over the space. He gave Delaney a polite nod and kept right on going, studying my side of the room intently. “We gotta get you some posters or something. Make this homier.”
Posters? That was what he was focused on?
“Knox,” Delaney breathed in a husky voice. “It’s so good to see you again.” She looked up at him through fluttering lashes.
His mouth pulled down in a hint of a frown. “Have we met?”
I choked on a laugh, trying to turn it into a cough as Delaney’s face went beet red.
“Of course. Bryce is my older sister. We met at the football party last year when I was visiting.”
“Oh, yeah. Bryce is good people,” Knox said.
I didn’t miss that he hadn’t remembered meeting Delaney. It was petty, but there was a tiny rush of relief at that.
Still, Delaney beamed at him as if Knox had told her he’d been counting down the days to her arrival. “She’s the best. We should all get drinks at Ashes & Emeralds one night.”
Knox shifted. “Maybe.”
Delaney wasn’t deterred. “We could go tonight.”
Knox’s gaze shifted to me for a second. “Uh, I’ve got plans tonight.”
“Maybe this weekend, then?” Delaney pushed.
“Maybe,” Knox echoed.
She stood from her chair, smiling widely. “Maybe you could show me around campus this afternoon. I’d love an insider’s tour.”
Knox moved back a step. “I’m sure Bryce would be great at that.”
He turned to me before she could say another word. “Hayden, I was thinking we could eat outside. It warmed up a bit.”
Anger burned through Delaney’s gaze, landing directly on me.
“Uh, sure,” I muttered, grabbing my wallet and key card.
Knox nodded at Delaney. “Good to see you again.”
Her rage-filled expression instantly morphed into a simpering warmth. “You, too, Knox. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other now.”
A weird territorial feeling surged up inside me. I didn’t want Delaney to see Knox. Which was the most ridiculous thought ever. I didn’t get to control who Knox was friends with or who he was more than friends with, for that matter. We barely knew each other.
I ducked out into the hallway, and Knox shut the door behind us, letting out a hiss of breath. Our eyes locked, and we both laughed.
